


Chastity on a Thursday

by sandwichtree



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s05e03 Free to Be You and Me, Gen, M/M, Warning: mentions of work-place sexual harassment/assault and childhood molestation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-22
Updated: 2012-05-22
Packaged: 2017-11-05 20:31:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/410713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandwichtree/pseuds/sandwichtree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Her real name is Taylor Bennett. She enjoys Chinese food and horror literature. She was a talented swimmer before her rotator cuff was permanently damaged. She was born on July 19th, 1984 in Portland, Maine. It was Thursday." A short piece regarding Chastity, the courtesan that Castiel meets in 5x03.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chastity on a Thursday

Castiel panics from the moment he sees her.

"Chastity," she says.

Dean replies, "Chastity? Wow. Is that kismet or what, buddy?"

There are times when Dean is an imbecile.

But Castiel wonders.

Chastity's real name is Taylor Bennett. She enjoys Chinese food and horror literature. She was a talented swimmer before her rotator cuff was permanently damaged. She was born on July 19th, 1984 in Portland, Maine. It was Thursday.

The angels had not visited Earth for nearly 2000 years when Castiel heard Taylor Bennett's first prayer, but still he and the five other angels of Thursday were compelled to listen.

"Please, please make them stop fighting. Please, please, please, please, please."

A small voice, among thousands more desperate and deserving, but Castiel took notice. Just for a fraction of a human moment, he paused and explored the situation.

Taylor Bennett, four years old.

Her mother, Maria Bennett (née Stevenson), was a nail technician and alcoholic.

When Maria found out she was pregnant with Taylor, Taylor's father, Gene, dropped out of high school and acquired a job sticking labels to packages at the post office. Gene's supervisor, Ronald Greening, had been sexually harassing him since his third day, but Gene required the government benefits to protect his young, fledgling family. Thinking of his baby girl wrapping her tiny hand around his finger, he stayed silent.

For four years, and through the birth of a second child named Katie, Gene kept this secret, but when the encounters with Robert Greening became increasingly violent, he could not longer risk being naked in front of his wife for fear she would find evidence.

Maria, pulled to hysterics by liquor and stress, screamed at him more often than not. "Am I not _sexy_ anymore, is that it? Sorry if giving birth to your _children_ took away my figure, you fuckhole!"

Gene roared back, "I work day in and day out for them, you ungrateful _bitch!_ "

And on they went, while Taylor held her baby sister and prayed.

"Is something wrong, Castiel?" asked Asasiel. "You have gone away from the prayers."

"No," Castiel said. "Nothing."

Asasiel, who was glorious and determined and clever, knew that Castiel was not being truthful, but said no more about it.

Castiel has not seen Asasiel for many years. He wonders if perhaps Asasiel is one among Raphael's followers.

"Chastity," she says.

Castiel next checked in on Taylor Bennett when she prayed, "Please, please God, make him stop," at the age of eleven after Maria's boyfriend came into Taylor's bedroom at night.

Castiel was not allowed to make him stop, but he was allowed to know what had happened to the Bennetts since he last peeked into their life.

After Gene left his family, Maria would tell Taylor, "Before you were born, your daddy was going to be a painter. If I hadn't had you, he would have been famous. But you're gonna be anything you wanna be, understand me, baby?"

Taylor loved her.

Maria never passed up a drink or a chance to sleep with someone who would tell her what she wanted to hear, but she also never missed a day of work or a rent check. When she found out that her boyfriend was molesting Taylor, she escorted him away from the premises with a shotgun to his back. "If I ever so much as hear your fucking name around here again, I'll find you and shoot your balls off, you hear me? I'll kill you!"

Taylor loved her _so much._

Gutrix, noticing that Castiel was troubled, touched Castiel's spirit. "It is not wrong to desire to help the humans, brother. Were we not created to do so?"

Castiel was warmed but remained in confusion. "Then why are we not allowed to walk with them?"

"Heaven commands it," Gutrix said, somehow doubtful.

Many years later, Castiel found Gutrix dead amidst a car wreck, her vessel broken and her wings scorched into the pavement.

"Chastity," she says.

The last time Castiel made contact with her life, Taylor was eighteen, praying, "Please, please let Katie come home, please, please, please. I just want Katie to be okay. Please." She hadn't prayed for a long time.

Katie Bennett, Taylor's little sister, had run away from home after a fight with Maria about her boyfriend. "You're not even here half the time! Why do you care who I date?"

Maria knew about boys like that. Maria knew where girls like Katie ended up. "I am your mother, and you will listen to me!"

Katie screamed. "I HATE YOU!"

Taylor said, "Katie, come on."

Katie tried to get Taylor to come with her, but Taylor couldn't leave Maria alone. She worried that if Maria didn't have someone left to take care of she would down all the booze in the house and then put that shotgun in her mouth.

Fortunately, Taylor had no plans to go off to college. She had been earning D's in school since she'd been forced to quit the swim team. Her English teacher said she was a promising writer but then had her transferred out of his classroom when she offered to suck him off for an A.

Castiel watched this from heaven and grieved as he always did over his Father's fallen creation. He held the weight of millions of lives much worse than Taylor Bennett's.

Suth told him that he was being foolish.

"Your grief leaves way for doubt," he said, burning.

It was not long after that when Castiel was ordered to fetch Dean Winchester's rotting soul out of Hell.

Suth glowed with pride. "You will see what doubt leads to, Castiel. You will be the brightest angel among our garrison."

But Castiel killed Suth three days ago. He sunk a blade into his spine.

"Chastity," Taylor says. She giggles like she doesn't remember at every moment that her sister is on a missing persons list, that her mother is at home drinking her liver away.

"Chastity?" Dean questions.

"Uh-huh," Taylor chirps.

"Wow," says Dean. "Is that kismet or what, buddy? Huh?"

Castiel is frozen.

Here she is, in transparent white lingerie and high heels.

He wishes that he were at home with Gutrix, Sachiel, Maguth, Asasiel and Suth, all of them listening motionlessly while humankind cried out for help.

Taylor pulls him away to a room in the back, Dean congratulating him all the way.

The money in his fist burns like a hot coal.

"Relax, baby. I'm gonna make you feel good," Taylor tells him with a flirtatious smile, pulling on his tie, unbuttoning his shirt.

Castiel stares into her eyes and wills himself to know what has happened to Taylor Bennett since he last heard her prayer.

Maria didn't say much when Taylor got her job at Zep's Cabaret. She would have been tooth and nail against it before Katie left. Everyone in town knew that the cabaret part of the establishment was just a cover for the high class whore house that Zep was actually running. But that was before. Everything is different with Katie gone.

Taylor spends her weekends with her mother, wiping vomit off her chin or watching Doctor Sexy M.D. together. She doesn't have a lot of friends here at the Cabaret, but the one she does have is named Sarah, and Taylor thinks they might be in love. She prays every night that Katie will come back home, that she is alive somewhere.

When she looks at Castiel's vessel, she thinks that he looks a lot like Gene. She's not sure if finds him horrible or nerdy or sexy. She wonders if Castiel will pull her hair; she likes it when her clients do that. She doesn't like it when they spank.

Castiel has a thousand things to say, most importantly that Katie is living safely in San Fransisco and how sorry he is that he did not help them when he should have.

What he blurts out instead is, "It's not your fault your father Gene ran off. He hated his job at the post office."

And the rest becomes history.

After Taylor has stormed away, Castiel is left with Dean, who says, "Oh no, _man._ This whole industry _runs_ on absent fathers. It's the natural order!"

Dean is wrong, but Castiel understands why he thinks he isn't.

The Winchesters always think Castiel doesn't understand things, but to the contrary, it is in Castiel's nature to understand. He understood Dean from the first moment he saw his soul shining bright in the Pit. What Castiel doesn't get is why people don't want him to understand them.

He wants to tell this to Dean. He wants to tell Dean about Taylor Bennett and how she chose the name Chastity on a dare. But there are multitudes of things he does not tell Dean. He is never sure which things Dean wants to be told. At best, this is irritating.

But then Dean is laughing all the way to the Imapala, and something inside Castiel melts like a snowflake on his tongue.

Castiel smiles back at him. He cannot change what has happened in Taylor Bennett's life, but he can help Dean make sure she is able to continue living it. That's right.

By the time they get in the car, Dean has sobered up somewhat, but when Castiel says, "Thank you for bringing me here," he bursts out laughing again.

"Oh man, lemme tell ya. I have just about the weirdest boner in the world right now."

Castiel frowns. "Are you alright?"

Dean snorts, starting the car. "No problem. But you're really something."

"Something what?"

"Aw, come on. We don't have to talk about this, do we?"

"No, Dean."

Dean pauses and puts his hand on Castiel's arm, squeezing slightly. "You know, Cas," he says, "if we had more time..." He licks his lips, looking somewhat queasy.

Castiel nods and swallows despite his dry mouth. He understands.

**Author's Note:**

> Because SPN treats its female characters (especially the minor ones) like shit. Thanks so much for reading!! :D


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